Photo of the Day: Best of February

When people ask me what makes a Photo of the Day—a curated look at photography around National Geographic—my answer is simple: I have to want to spend time with the picture, and whether full of complex detail or exquisitely simple, it has to stand on its own. The photos I choose are meant to be a glimpse of our world in a moment in time, some captured as a result of meticulous planning and research on assignment for National Geographic magazine, others happy finds from keen eyes tuned to daily life and travels from our Your Shot community. The photographers behind the lens represent a wide range of skill levels, from professional to aspirational, but each has a visual story to tell. Below are a selection of reader favorites from the month of February.—Alexa Keefe

In the above Photo of the Day by Your Shot contributor Quang Tran, women sew fishing nets in a Vietnamese village. The billows of the bottle-green nets, echoing the ocean waves, the calm focus of the women at work, and the detail of the old-fashioned sewing machine all work together to make a harmonious scene—and one that I imagine is not as tranquil as it looks.

There is magic in these fairy tale woods of Spain’s Manchuela in Castile-La Mancha region—and magic in coming across unexpected moments. I like how we see the horse through a veil of wispy tree branches. He is right over there but just beyond reach.

So many of Orsolya Haarberg’s photographs of the coast of Norway were perfect for Photo of the Day, it was hard to choose. What I love about this frame is the feeling of being perched right among the ring of jagged peaks of Lofoten Islands, watching the warm light hitting different points in the distance across the waters of Kirkefjorden.

Your Shot contributor Alexander Stepanenko got this photograph while riding on the back of a sled in a Russian village near Murmansk, giving the viewer the feeling of being in the middle of the moment. I love the composition of the lead reindeer coming out of the frame, with the rest of the herd following behind.

David Doubilet’s story on the underwater paradise of Kimbe Bay in Papua New Guinea featured many gorgeous images but this one is my personal favorite. The lush, velvety texture of the anemone and the electric green of its tentacles are a feast for the eyes. And I love the anemonefish peeking out from his luxury dwelling.

I have seen many photographs which play off of the scale and vast, luminous emptiness of the salt desert of the Bolivian Altiplano. What I like about this frame is getting a sense of what it actually is like to be in that climate. The workers, here to extract salt, lithium, and borax, are covered from head to toe, almost giving the impression of astronauts at work on the surface of an alien planet.

There is a cinematic quality to this scene, as if we are dropping in on an adventure film. The cavers in the yellow tents huddled between the darkness and the light streaming in seem poised on the brink of a new discovery as they continue their trek through Hang Son Doong in Vietnam, the largest cave in the world.

I love how at first you see the collective, defined by the geometric patterns of the stacks and the desks of China’s National Library, and then you get to spend time studying the individuals in various states of attentiveness—all in sharp detail.

I love how these wolves at Indiana’s Wolf Park are coming into the frame mid-howl, each at a slightly different point. I feel as though I am about to watch a procession with this trio at the lead, announcing what is to come. This is a great example of being ready to click the shutter at just the right moment.

Starry skies illuminated by the otherworldly colors of the northern lights are an immediate eye-catcher. What makes this photograph from Paul Nicklen’s recent story about the Canadian Yukon special is what’s on the ground—the smokehouse, topped with the elk horns and illuminated from within— giving a sense of the people who live in these beautiful and remote places.

Alexa Keefe is the editor of Photo of the Day, a curated look at photography from around National Geographic. The full archive is accessible here.

There are 49 Comments. Add Yours.

discover of unknown place on this planet very exciting.i wish been here.thanks

Juliette
May 23, 2014

Feeling the beauty has no words.

Juliette
May 23, 2014

Feeling the beauty has not words.

Manoj pahite
May 15, 2014

Beutyful pics

Bob
May 13, 2014

Put a feather in his hat and called it macroni

Sekhar
May 8, 2014

One picture is equal to thousand words

VIMUKTHI C K
May 6, 2014

I wish if i could live there each and every place enjoy every moment.

Allan Verreynne
May 5, 2014

Every photographer is an artist in their own right. I love the light, mood and textures captured & preserved for us to enjoy! Masterful!

bruna dessena
May 5, 2014

I work on oil rigs, its so dilent and drab all around me, I love clicking on these stunning images to lighten upmy day, thankyou

suresh
April 30, 2014

Hi very good phots

romi mudra rakshasa
April 24, 2014

really the best photos i have ever seen…great job that inspires

seetha
April 22, 2014

nice photography…. the true beauty of mather nature is proved in these photos.

Shariq
April 16, 2014

this is really an Exploration..

habiba
April 16, 2014

Those are really beautiful photos when I grow up I wish I can be a big photographer♥

Fraz
April 13, 2014

i love to become a explorer …i love nature

Ipsita Pal Bhowmick
April 13, 2014

Brilliant !

Himanshu Dubey
April 9, 2014

All snap is weird.

ANAND TOTAGI
April 8, 2014

astonishing photos

Dharmendra Shyara
April 6, 2014

These are awesome photographs

Bruce Mucklin
April 5, 2014

Amazing how these photographers can visualize the photograph, fantastic.

Gagan Mandal
April 4, 2014

Thank you for sharing these amazing photography

R.SUBRAMANI
March 30, 2014

very nice

Ann Dian
March 28, 2014

Great shots. I love the study hall concept.

Maria
March 23, 2014

I hope that one day I can visit, just one of those places where those AMAZING PHOTOGRAPHS were taken!

ed siversnow
March 22, 2014

nice photos I thank you for the chance to see such beauty again thank you.

Gaurav Alande
March 21, 2014

OMG those pics are amazing it really glued my eyes. I believe you have a beautiful heart.

Sharon Rae
March 17, 2014

Every Picture has a depth of such interesting information it makes your brain think.

Samuel Kock
March 17, 2014

WOW! PHOTOGRAPHS

Luke Kurvers
March 16, 2014

Blessed are those eyes and brains that notice beauty.

Ed Varela
March 15, 2014

great inf. and great sources

Chao dejieh
March 15, 2014

给人以美的享受，文字与图像的结合

svmani
March 13, 2014

Yukonnight photo amazing

Roy Manik
March 9, 2014

Perfect photos, i like it!

Mohamed Elmeshkhy
March 9, 2014

It is a wonderful shot it shows the beautiful combinations of colors and
light as god created

Joanne Brennan
March 7, 2014

So good to see there is still some beauty in this world

Colleen
March 6, 2014

Beautiful, The northern lights remind me of how much I want to go north and see them. Thank your for sharing such beauty.

Davide
March 6, 2014

I love Lofoten Islands, I’ve been there twice, but I still want to go back!
Davide

michael capous
March 6, 2014

outstanding pictures congrats to the photographer.keep up the good work

kamal albereir
March 5, 2014

Thanks ,Thanks ,Thanks for the wonderful shots . This is amazing !!

Mary L. Bullock
March 5, 2014

The world on my computer screen – so beautiful it almost hurts.

Dr.Davare V.R.
March 5, 2014

National Geographic has contributed a large collection of photographs since last 5 decades to it’s readers a service which needs a great appreciation !Many thanks to NG for encouraging amateur photographers!

Kalyan Chakravarthi
March 5, 2014

These photographs made me still for some time n made me rethink of the stunning ideology used in them